Five local towns go to the polls early next week, and I know for certain that God has a sense of humor.

That's because the elections fall right after one of my favorite holidays.

Happy April Fool's Day to the citizens of Fancyville.

Sunday marks the sixth anniversary of an April Fool's gag that ran as the lead story on the City & Town cover of this newspaper.

The gist was that Plainville voters on April 2 would decide a critical - and, wouldn't you know it, last-minute - ballot question. To rename the town "Fancyville."

"'Plainville' is, well, too dull for the 21st century, petitioners said. It also evokes images of Herve Villechaize, the rain in Spain and bland yogurt. 'Fancyville' is more stylish. The marketing possibilities are endless, too. Gift shops, bakeries and restaurants could all tie their advertising into it," we wrote.

And the story got more outrageous from there, as a good April Fool's gag should. No one got hurt. That was a promise that I made to then-Managing Editor Mike Kirby after my cohort Jamie Merolla talked me into writing the thing.

And I let Town Administrator Joe Fernandes in on what I was concocting. Just in case his phone started ringing off the hook on Election Day.

And despite loading the story down with clues that something was amiss - the first letter of each paragraph was emboldened, to spell out "Happy April Fool's Day" - people still believed.

One candidate told me at the polls that, while campaigning on April 1, a resident said they wouldn't support him if he backed the Fancyville change. The story was reminiscent of - and, truthfully, inspired by - the legendary Sports Illustrated cover story, "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch."

Written by the great George Plimpton, the article revealed that the New York Mets had invited a 28-year-old eccentric mystic named Hayden "Sidd" Finch to their spring training camp after scouts' radar guns recorded his fastest pitch at 168 miles per hour.

Our story said Plainville residents had invited Plimpton and Finch to the Fancyville renaming ceremony if the ballot question passed, which brings me back to this weekend, and the upcoming local elections.

Amid all the intense, last-minute campaigning, I offer advice to the candidates. Don't take things too seriously on Sunday.

MICHAEL GELBWASSER is a Sun Chronicle staff writer. His column appears every other Friday. He can be reached at 508-236-0372 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.